Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - It has been quite a 22-game stretch for the Buffalo Sabres, as they have gone from being one of the basement dwellers of the Eastern Conference standings to being one of the hottest teams in the entire league.
As of Tuesday morning, Buffalo's 18-3-1 run has the Sabres currently sitting in third place in the Atlantic Division - based off points percentage - with games still in-hand on both the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins.
The Sabres are hoping to round out their latest road trip on Tuesday with another win, this time over the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena. With a win, the team will close out the trip with a 4-1 record, with the only loss coming in Carolina against the Hurricanes.
Sabres assistant coach Seth Appert has been pleased with his team's efforts away from home ice, especially in their last meeting against the New York Islanders, where they skated off the ice at the UBS Arena with a 5-0 win.
"I think through 40 minutes, it was a pretty even game. Alex Lyon just happened to make two more saves than the Islanders goaltender [David Rittich]. You have a 2-0 lead, that late goal at the end of the second, and then the early goal to start the third were the ones that kind of broke it open for us and allowed us to play a mature third period, which has been three games in-a-row," said Appert in an appearance on the "Jeremy and Joe Show" on WGR. "We've been real staunchy in the third, in terms of the chances we've given up, which is certainly a good sign."
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One of the players for Buffalo that has been a bright spot all through the 2025-26 campaign is winger Josh Doan, who was rewarded for his play with a new seven-year contract extension.
This season has seen Doan blossom into a full-time, top-six forward in Buffalo, with 15 goals and 20 assists for 35 points in 50 games played. Appert believes this hot start for the 23-year-old is only the beginning.
"I think he's just scratching the surface at how good of an NHL player he's going to become," Appert said with Jeremy White and Joe DiBiase. "He has the work ethic, the hockey intelligence and the drive to become a great player in this league. I think what we've done is provided him opportunity and belief. For whatever reason, he was behind guys in age and development, and here he's come in and he's earned it. We haven't given it to him, but he's earned that opportunity. Our coaching staff and our whole organization has a lot of belief in him. That's why we traded for him."
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